Governor Signs Bills Toughening State’s DUI Laws [YouTube]

John Barnes, Spokesman for Attorney General Tim Fox, said the bill was sponsored by Rep. Keith Regier of Kalispell, and introduced at the request of the attorney general.

"We've been working with the county attorneys throughout Montana on criminal and civil litigation issues, and of course, they have a lot of feedback on Montana's DUI laws," Barnes said. "This was a bill that tightened up the loopholes and eliminated the inconsistencies in present laws. It also increased some penalties and doubled fines, ultimately with the goal, which has been the attorney general's goal for the past couple of years, of cracking down on repeat offenders."

Barnes said repeat DUI's remains a problem in the state.

"We have to continue to be diligent in fighting repeated DUI, because if we don't, the alternative is more roadway deaths," he said. "Our troopers out on the highways are the ones who have to clean up the bodies and the blood and they see the wrecked lives and destroyed property. We know this is a real problem and ever since the very beginning we've been taking steps to combat it, and we will continue to do so."

Last month Governor Bullock also signed HB 111, which increased the maximum prison sentence for those who have been convicted of four or more DUI's.